Matter Out of Place

Anthropological Explorations of Bodies, Dirt and Morality

Author: Rebecca Lynch, Roland Littlewood and Joseph Calabrese

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Description

Anthropologists often use ‘pollution’ to refer to social and individual challenges to a cultural idea of purity, which may be seen in terms of religious practice, foodstuffs and social differentiation. It has been used as a trope to explore ideas of dirt and place, moral inversion and reinforcement, disgust and taboo.

The book is an invitation to consider the continued relevance of Mary Douglas’ conceptualization of pollution and dirt as ‘matter out of place’ in relation to contemporary circumstances. Its ethnographic and theoretical contributions cover diverse contexts, ranging from Europe to Africa, the Caribbean, India and Outer Space.

Critic Reviews

“The chapters are engaging and of an ambitious nature. I found the collection to be highly readable and also liked the array of different topics and perspectives covered.” • Kirsten Bell, Imperial College

About the Author

Rebecca Lynch is Lecturer in Medical Anthropology at the University of Exeter. Her work explores the body and biomedicine, particularly bodily fluids and boundaries, bodily relations with non-humans (e.g., technologies), morality and biomedical categorization.